Seven Years...

Seven years passed since the tragic 911 event. It seems so far ago, but the world is still suffering from the chain of hatred.
I was living in the International House of UC Berkeley at the time.
It was an experience I won't forget for the rest of my life. International students from over 50 countries were gathered in front of the big TV in the lounge. We were upset and confused. There were Arabian students living in the same dorm, and the doors were closed for emergency so that people from outside won't be able to come in to assult them. (It was since the Pearl Harbor attack, when Japanese students became the target of hatred)

Joe, the director of our dormitory, gave a moving speach in front of all of us. He told us to become the first one to stand up and stop the endless loop of hatred. There were students who lost family members, friends, and also students who came from the countries being accused, but I felt we were all united. It was a sad but warm night.

Environmental issues has always been a theme for me, but up till this day, to be honest I was always thinking that "environmental issues are problems between human and nature, and human are the wrongdoer". But after the speach, I started to think that environmental issues are a problem between human and human after all. People can create and destroy so many things. But who will disappear because of destruction? The Earth will live on somehow, and it is us, human race that will disappear. If we keep blaming eachother (other countries, races, developed-and-developing, domestic sectors, ages, gender...) nothing will change.

After the many nights of exciting discussions (over drinks :))I had with friends from all around the world, I became to think that this issue was the last chance something invisible gave the human race to unite together.

I backpacked alot since this experience, and looking from outside Japan, I noticed how Japan was full of beautiful nature, ways of thinking in harmony with nature, technology, and historical background to alert the world. This was how I came to notice that my mission is to help Japan to become the first one to say "hey, lets stop this destruction and hold hands to create harmony".

Still a long long way to go, but I will keep looking for and communicating Japanese ideas that somebody somewhere can use to solve the disharmony with nature. I really want to thank you all that are reading this blog, and I hope we can share the same dream, "unite together as humans to regain harmony with nature".

Special thanks & best wishes to...
Katalina, Michael, Nadir, Isaac, Katy, Pablo, Nanao, and all of you from the IHouse!